Integrated and synchronized cross platform delivery system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for delivering targeted advertisements to consumers by inserting the targeted advertisements into a content stream. The content stream may be monitored for advertisement placement opportunities, such that the targeted advertisements may be seamlessly inserted into the content stream to replace an advertisement in the content stream. The content stream&#39;s owner and/or provider may be identified such that revenues from the targeted advertisement may be shared with the owner&#39;s and/or providers. The system and method are further able to use a biometric recognition technique to verify that the targeted advertisement is actually delivered to the targeted consumer. Another aspect allows the targeted advertisements to be delivered across multiple platforms in accordance with an advertising campaign.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/903,148, filed Feb. 22, 2007, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety, including but not limited to thoseportions that specifically appear hereinafter, the incorporation byreference being made with the following exception: In the event that anyportion of the above-referenced provisional application is inconsistentwith this application, this application supercedes said above-referencedprovisional application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method fordelivering a content stream and advertisements to a user, and moreparticularly, but not necessarily entirely, to delivering targetedadvertisements to a user.

2. Description of Related Art

Traditional advertisement methods involve broadcasting advertising andprogramming material together to multiple recipients in the samegeographic area. For example, advertising and programming material maybe broadcast through a television or radio station in a content stream.

For both television and radio advertising, historically, advertisershave been forced to purchase time slots in delivering their message.Time slots are selected based on demographic information associated withthe content. A.C. Nielson is the industry's main provider of suchdemographic information for television. For example, in order for anadvertiser to reach a 35-year old woman, the advertisers may be forcedto advertise on multiple channels where the research indicates asignificant presence of such women. This is an indirect approach toreaching the target audience with built in inefficiencies andredundancies. Furthermore, the advertiser is unable to create directintegrated and synchronized interactions between different advertisingplatforms. Television and radio are one-way mediums that permit low costdistribution to a large geographic area. That is, all households withinthe geographic area receive the same programming and advertisements. Theadvertisement is the same regardless of who is the actual viewer.Satellite and cable delivery systems may have the ability to providecustomized advertisements based on a more refined geographic region.However, these media lack the ability of targeting individual users anddoing so across a plurality of platforms.

Internet Protocol Television (“IPTV”) is another medium available foradvertising. Using IPTV, programming is directly streamed from a remoteserver to a household. Although IPTV's ability to target a uniquehousehold is greater than the previous broadcast methods describedabove, IPTV is still unable to synchronize or integrate an advertisingcampaign across other platforms.

Further, there is presently little or no ability to synchronizeadvertising across different platforms. For example, if an advertiserwanted to combine a television advertisement with a follow-up directmail piece, the advertiser would blanket advertisements on multiplechannels during multiple time slots in trying to reach the targetaudience. At some point, once the advertiser felt that the saturationlevel had been reached, a follow up direct mail piece would be sent out.The advertiser has no way of confirming if the television advertisementhad been seen by the targeted individual prior to the direct mail piecearriving. In fact, it's quite possible that the direct mail piece wouldarrive before the targeted individual would even see the advertisement.

As mentioned, television and direct mail represent two differentplatforms that are available to advertisers. Internet advertisementsthrough banner ads and search result placements are other platforms thatare available to advertisers. In addition, DVD/VHS, Gaming, PVR, andIPTV are additional platforms which can be selected by advertisers inreaching their target audiences. However, there is no ability tointegrate or synchronize these platforms based on current technologies,platforms, and configurations.

The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that areaddressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes,and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and otherproblems, by utilizing the methods and structural features describedherein. The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure withoutundue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure maybe realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent froma consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system pursuant tothe present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of theelectrical device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of thecentralized management system illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a system pursuantto the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure illustrating the placement of a targeted advertisement to auser of an electronic device;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure illustrating the placement of a targeted advertisement into acontent stream;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure illustrating the placement of a targeted advertisement basedupon the identity of a user of an electronic device; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure illustrating the placement of a targeted advertisement basedupon the source of the content stream.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles inaccordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to theembodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will beused to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that nolimitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Anyalterations and further modifications of the inventive featuresillustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles ofthe disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to oneskilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure,are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In describing andclaiming the present disclosure, the following terminology will be usedin accordance with the definitions set out below. As used herein, theterms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” andgrammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms thatdo not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

As used herein, the term “content stream” means information of an audioand/or visual nature that is delivered from one device to anotherdevice. The content stream may be carried in a signal, includingelectromagnetic signals and light based signals. The information in thecontent stream may include both programming and advertisements that canbe rendered on an electronic device. The content stream may be generatedby an external source, such as a television station broadcast tower, orby an integrated source, such as a software driver for a storage medium.The content stream may be stored in a storage medium, such as a harddrive or optical storage medium.

As used herein, the term “render” and its grammatical equivalents meansto play, display, interpret, decode, show, reproduce, or otherwisepresent the information in the content stream in a manner that can beperceived by a user. Typically, the information in the content stream isrendered using a display, monitor, or screen in combination withspeakers.

Many of the functional units described in this specification have beenlabeled as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize theirimplementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented asa hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays,off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or otherdiscrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmablehardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmablearray logic, programmable logic devices or the like.

Modules may also be implemented in software code, sometimes referred toas computer readable instructions, for execution by various types ofprocessors. An identified module of executable code may, for instance,comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructionsthat may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, orfunction. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need notbe physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructionsstored in different locations which, when joined logically together,comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module.

Indeed, a module of executable code may be a single instruction, or manyinstructions, and may even be distributed over several different codesegments, among different programs, and across several memory devices.Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated hereinwithin modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organizedwithin any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may becollected as a single data set, or may be distributed over differentlocations including over different storage devices, and may exist, atleast partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

Turning now to the present disclosure, applicant has discovered anapparatus and method for creating an integrated and synchronizedadvertisement and content delivery system. The present disclosure maymanage multiple phases of an advertising campaign through the deliveryof targeted advertisements across multiple platforms. The presentdisclosure is able to discriminate amongst various users of anelectronic device through identification techniques, such as biometricrecognition techniques and non-biometric recognition techniques. Oncethe identification of a user is positively confirmed, the presentdisclosure may monitor a content stream being delivered to theelectronic device for an advertisement placement opportunity. Once anadvertisement placement opportunity has been identified, a targetedadvertisement, selected in accordance with the user's profile, isrendered to the user according to an advertisement placementopportunity.

After rendering of the targeted advertisement, the present disclosuremay report the rendering of the targeted advertisement to a centralizedmanagement system by sending an electronic notification over a network.The receipt of the electronic notification may automatically trigger theimplementation of another phase of the advertising campaign. Further,the present disclosure may provide for revenue sharing with theproviders and/or owners of a content stream into which a targetedadvertisement is rendered.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a diagram of an exemplaryembodiment of a system 100 in accordance with the principles of thepresent disclosure. An electronic device 102 is able to render a contentstream to a user. In one embodiment the electronic device 102 is atelevision. In another embodiment the electronic device is a cell phone102. In still another embodiment the electronic device 102 is acomputer. In yet still another embodiment, the electronic device 102 isa portable handheld device, such as a digital music player (iPod, mp3player, etc.). Thus, it will be understood that the electronic device102 is any electronic device that is able to render, either visually,audibly or otherwise, a content stream, to a user.

A content source 104 may provide the content stream to the electronicdevice 102 over a communication path 106. The communication path 106between the content source 104 and the electronic device 102 maycomprise a wireless communication path, a wired communication path, or acombination of both. The content source 104 may be located remotely fromthe electrical device 102. Alternatively, the content source 104 may belocated proximate the electronic device 102 or even integrated into theelectronic device 102.

The content source 104 may be include, without limitation, a televisionstation network, a communications satellite, a cable TV station, agaming system, a web server, a cellular phone network, electronicmemory, a computer server, a music player, a computer, a DVD player, aBlu-Ray disc player, an HD DVD player, a high definition optical player,a CD player, a VCR player, a tape recorder, personal video recorder(“PVR”), an IPTV station, and any other similar and equivalent devicesthat transmit content streams for rendering to electronic devices. Itshould therefore be understood that the content source 104 includes anydevice, apparatus, system or network capable of generating the contentstream.

As mentioned, the content stream may be delivered to the electronicdevice 102 from the content source 104 over the communication path 106.If the communication path 106 is a wireless communication path, it mayutilize a radio frequency communication scheme such as those commonlyused for broadcast television, satellite TV, radio stations, pagernetworks, and cellular telephones. If the communication path 106 is awired communication path, it may include cable TV networks, fiber opticnetworks, power line networks, telephone lines, twisted pair, CAT-5, RCAcables, coaxial cables, or any other type of conductor or lighttransmission device used to carry information. In short, it should berecognized that there is no limitation on the medium through which thecontent stream is delivered to the electronic device 102 from thecontent source 104.

Further, it should be noted that the content stream may originate frominformation stored in a variety of storage mediums, including bothelectronic storage mediums and optical storage mediums. For example, ifthe content source 104 is a gaming system, the content stream may begenerated from information stored on a CD, DVD, Blu-Ray disc, or an HDDVD disk. If the content source 104 is a web server, the content streammay be generated from information stored electronically on a storagemedium accessible by the web server.

The content stream provided by the content source 104 may be providedon-demand or pursuant to a fixed broadcast schedule. For example, in thecase where the content source 104 is a web server, the content streammay be provided when requested by the electronic device 102. If thecontent source 104 is a television or a radio network, the contentstream may be broadcast constantly pursuant to a fixed broadcastschedule. If the content source 104 is a gaming system, the contentstream may only be provided when the gaming system is turned on and theappropriate game disk is installed into the gaming system.

Likewise, the content source 104 may provide the content stream in anyone of a wide variety of formats. The only restriction on the formattingof the content stream is that it must be compatible for rending on theelectronic device 102. Suitable formats for the content stream includeall audio, video, media, proprietary, and other formats now known orknown in the future. Suitable formats, include, without limitation,NTSC, HTML, DTV, AVI, Windows Media, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, QuickTime,RealVideo, Flash and Shockwave. Other suitable formats include audioformats such as AAC, AC3, MIDI, MP3, RealAudio, Waveform, and WMA. Othersuitable formats include image formats such as BMP, GIF, JPG, JPG 2000,MNG, PNG, SVG, TIFF. Other suitable formats include ASCII, DOC, EBCDIC,HTML, OEBPS, RTF, Unicode, WPD, and XML. Still other suitable formatsinclude the CD, DVD, Blue-Ray, and HD DVD formats. Further, it will benoted that the content stream may be first received at an intermediarydevice, such as a decoder, router, gateway, satellite receiver, a cablereceiver, or a high definition receiver, and then delivered to theelectronic device 102.

The content stream provided by the content source 104 typicallycomprises a combination of both programming and advertising. The contentstream may, however, only comprise programming with no advertising.Examples of programming may include television shows, music, or otherinformation. The term “advertising” refers generally to a paid promotionfor goods, services, companies and ideas by a sponsor.

In addition to receiving the content stream from the content source 104,the electronic device 102 may transmit and receive communications from acentralized management system 110 over a communication path 108. Thecentralized management system 110 may be located at a remote location,thereby requiring that the communication path 108 comprise acommunications network. Suitable networks for the communication path 108may include, without limitation, a computer network such as a local areanetwork (“LAN”) or a wide area network (“WAN”). In one exemplaryembodiment, the network used by the communication path 108 is apacket-switched network such as the Internet.

The communication path 108 between the centralized management system 110and the electronic device 102 may be direct or in-direct. Further, thecommunication path 108 may use any one of a wide variety of transmissionmediums, including a wireless communication path, a wired communicationpath, or a combination of both. The electronic device 102 and thecentralized management system 110 may use an appropriate communicationsprotocol to communicate with each other as is known by one havingordinary skill in the art.

The centralized management system 110 may include a storage mediumhaving targeted advertisements stored therein. In a manner that will bedescribed in more detail hereinafter, the centralized management system110 may transmit targeted advertisements to a local storage mediumassociated with the electronic device 102. Each targeted advertisementmay be linked to a known user of the electronic device 102. Theelectronic device 102 may then access the targeted advertisements andrender them to a specified or targeted user of the electronic device 102as specified in the link. The targeted advertisements may be rendered toa targeted user in accordance with advertisement placement opportunitiesin the content stream from the content source 104. In one embodiment,the targeted advertisements displace advertising in the content stream.

In addition to the targeted advertisements, the centralized managementsystem 110 may further provide a subscription-based content stream tothe electronic device 102 over the communication path 108. Thesubscription-based content stream may be stored locally at theelectronic device 102 in a storage medium for rendering on-demand at alater time.

The subscription-based content stream may include customized programmingselected by a user of the electronic device 102. The user may requestthe subscription-based content stream in a variety of manners. In oneembodiment, a user may simply select the desired programming through auser interface of the electronic device 102. The user interface may be agraphical user interface. For example, the graphical user interface maylist all of the programming available from the centralized managementsystem 110. The programming may include television programs, movies,news, music and sporting events. The subscription-based content streamsmay also include subject matter based content. That is, a user may electto receive programming related to a particular topic. For example, theuser may select to receive programming related to a particular sportsteam, actor, hobby, or event. The centralized management system 110would then deliver the programming selected by the user in a contentstream.

The subscription-based content stream may be rendered in real-time onthe electronic device 102. Alternatively, the subscription-based contentstream is stored at the electronic device 102 for later rendering at aconvenient to the user. Control over the rendering of thesubscription-based content stream may be done through a user interfaceassociated with the electrical device 102.

It will be appreciated that the subscription-based content stream allowsthe delivery of programming that may otherwise be unavailable. Forexample, a user may desire to receive a news broadcast from a televisionstation that does not broadcast in the geographical area where the userresides. The subscription-based content stream delivered from thecentralized management system 110 allows the user to receive the newsbroadcast. Further, the user is able to view the news broadcast at hisor her leisure thereby freeing the content stream from a fixed broadcastschedule. Further, it will be appreciated that the ability of thecentralized management system 110 to deliver the content stream directlyto the electronic device 102 allows the user to select only theprogramming that the user desires.

In one embodiment, the user may select to receive television shows frommultiple different channels. These television shows are delivered in thesubscription-based content stream from the centralized management system110 to the electronic device 102. The user may then view the televisionshows as if they were all broadcast on a single channel. In this sense,the user is able to watch a “virtual channel” of programming selected bythe user. Thus, it will be appreciated that the user can select toreceive sporting events, movies, television shows, news broadcasts,music, talk radio shows, or any other programming available from thecentralized management system 110.

The centralized management system 110 is not be limited to any onecontent source and could offer content from a wide variety of contentsources, including television networks, movie studies, radio stations,and even independent content sources. In one embodiment, the centralizedmanagement system 110 may allow a user to select to receive programmingin a native language of the user that would otherwise be unavailable.Further, the subscription-based content stream may be provided to thecentralized management system 110 by an outside content source 120 overa communication path 122. It will be appreciated that the centralizedmanagement system 110 may receive the subscription-based content streamfrom a multiple outside content sources, including content source 104.Thus, the present disclosure uniquely allows programming that would nototherwise merit a dedicated “channel” to be delivered to the electronicdevice 102.

The present disclosure also allows for advertisements to be placed inrelation to the subscription-based content streams. In one embodiment,advertisements may be placed into the subscription-based content streamsat the centralized management system 110. The subscription-based contentstreams are then transmitted to the electronic device 102 together. Inanother embodiment, the advertisements may be placed into thesubscription based content streams at the electronic device 102. Thus,in this embodiment, the subscription-based content stream and theadvertisements may be separately transmitted to the electronic device102 by the centralized management system 110.

The advertisements placed into the subscription-based content stream maybe targeted to a specific user of the electronic device 102.Alternatively, the advertisements may be placed into thesubscription-based content stream based upon some other criteria, oreven no criteria at all. Thus, if a user selects to receive specificcontent stream, e.g., a television show, from the centralized managementsystem 110, the content stream would be rendered at the electronicdevice 102 with the advertisements added at the centralized managementsystem 110 or at the electronic device 102.

The electronic device 102 may report feedback to the centralizedmanagement system 110 over the communication path 108. The feedback mayinclude an electronic notification reporting that one or more targetedadvertisements transmitted by the centralized management system 110 tothe electronic device 102 has in fact been rendered to the targeteduser. This feedback may allow the centralized management system 110 totrack the delivery of the targeted advertisements. In addition, thefeedback may include information on the content stream into which thetargeted advertisement was placed. This information may be utilized bythe centralized management system 110 to identify a provider of thecontent stream. As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, theprovider of the content stream may share any advertising revenuesgenerated from the placement of the targeted advertisement.

At least one user of the electronic device 102 may be required tocomplete an enrollment process with the centralized management system110. Alternatively, all the users of the electronic device 102 may berequired to enroll with the centralized management system 110. Forexample, all of the members of a household may be required to enrollwith the centralized management system 110.

The enrollment process may be completed through a wide variety ofmethods, including through the electronic device 102, another electronicdevice, live interview, or through a paper form. A graphical userinterface, such as an interactive web page, may be employed to assist inthe enrollment process. In one embodiment, the enrollment process mayrequire that a user complete a profile assessment by providinginformation in response to survey-type questions.

The profile assessment may gather information regarding the age of theuser, the sex of the user, the income of the user, the marital andfamily status of the user, the race of the user, the residence of theuser, the native language of the user, the credit rating of the user,the hobbies of the user, the general and specific interests of the user,and/or any other information deemed necessary to direct targetedadvertisements to the user.

In addition, during the enrollment process, the user may elect not toreceive advertisements for certain products or services. For example,the user may elect not to receive alcohol or cigarette relatedadvertisements during the enrollment process. The enrollment process maytake place on-line, through a personal interview, or any other similarlyrelated methodologies. The profile information gathered from a user maybe stored in a database associated with the centralized managementsystem 110. In addition, the enrollment process may require the user tosubmit a biometric or non-biometric reference sample to be used inidentifying the user.

Targeted advertisements may be supplied to the centralized managementsystem 110 from an advertising source 112. The advertising source 112may be operated by a third-party, such as an advertising agency or by amarketing department of a company. The advertising source 112 and thecentralized management system 110 may engage in communications over acommunication path 114.

Through the communication path 114, the advertising source 112 maytransmit the targeted advertisements to the centralized managementsystem 110. The targeted advertisements may be provided by theadvertisement source 112 in a format suitable for transmission to theelectronic device 102 by the centralized management system 110.Alternatively, the centralized management system 110 may have thecapability to format or re-format a targeted advertisement fortransmission to the electronic device 102. Further, the targetedadvertisements may be provided to the centralized management system 110on a portable storage medium, such as a CD or DVD.

In addition to the targeted advertisements, the advertisement source 112may provide target profiles associated with the targeted advertisements.The target profiles may identify a specific profile of a user to whomthe targeted advertisements are directed. The target profiles may bedeveloped by using profile information, which may contain demographicand behavioral information, stored at the centralized management system110.

Once a targeted advertisement and its associated target profile havebeen received at the centralized management system 110, the centralizedmanagement system 110 may compare the target profile to the profiles ofall of the enrolled users to determine a group of targeted users to whomthe targeted advertisement should be delivered. It will be appreciatedby those having ordinary skill in the art that the profiles of thetargeted users may be only a close match to the target profile and thatan exact match is not required between the target profile and a user'sprofile. In one embodiment, there is a 90% or higher match between thetarget profile and a user's profile in order for the user to betargeted. In another embodiment, there is an 80% or higher match betweenthe target profile and a user's profile in order for the user to betargeted. In still another embodiment, there is an 70% or higher matchbetween the target profile and a user's profile in order for the user tobe targeted.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if a user of the electronicdevice 102 is found to have a profile that corresponds to a targetprofile for a targeted advertisement, the centralized management system110 may deliver the targeted advertisement to the electronic device 102via the communication path 108. In another embodiment, if a user of theelectronic device 102 is found to have a profile that corresponds to thetarget profile for the targeted advertisements, the centralizedmanagement system 110 may deliver the targeted advertisements to theelectronic device 102 along with a subscription-based content stream viathe communication path 108.

The targeted advertisements, and, if transmitted, the subscription-basedcontent stream, may be stored in a storage medium locally associatedwith the electronic device 102. When it is confirmed that the targeteduser is actually using the electronic device 102, the electronic device102 may render the targeted advertisement to the user at the firstavailable opportunity or some at other specified opportunity. Theconfirmation that the targeted user is actually using the electronicdevice 102 may be accomplished through a biometric or non-biometricrecognition technique using the reference sample submitted by the userduring the enrollment process.

The rendering of the targeted advertisement to a targeted user may beaccomplished in several ways. In one embodiment, upon verification thata targeted user is actually using the electronic device 102, theelectronic device 102 may begin monitoring the content stream from thecontent source 104 or the subscription based content stream from thecentralized management system 110 for advertisement placementopportunities. When an advertisement placement opportunity isidentified, the electronic device 102 will render the targetedadvertisement in accordance with the advertisement placementopportunity.

Further, the electronic device 102, either separately or in combinationwith the centralized management system 110, may also identify the owneror provider of the content stream or subscription-based content streaminto which the targeted advertisement is placed. This information may bestored for later transmission to the centralized management system 110.Alternatively, the electronic device 102 may gather data regarding thecontent stream into which a targeted advertisement has been placed suchthat the data may be used to identify the owner or provider of thecontent stream. Thus, included in the communications 108 from theelectronic device 102 to the centralized management system 110 may beinformation regarding the content stream into which the targetedadvertisement is placed. Further, as previously mentioned, theelectronic device 102 may send an electronic notification reporting thatone or more of the targeted advertisements previously transmitted to theelectronic device 102 by the centralized management system 110 has infact been rendered to the targeted user. To the extent not previouslyprovided, the centralized management system 110 may determine thecontent owner or content provider associated with the content streamfrom information received from the electronic device 102 overcommunication path 108.

The centralized management system 110 may send communications over acommunication path 116 to a third-party system 118 operated by a contentowner or content provider associated with the content stream from thecontent source 104. This information may include a report regarding theplacement of the targeted advertisement into the content stream. Thereport may also include information on the sharing of any advertisementrevenues generated by the advertisement placement as will be explainedhereinafter.

In addition, the communications between the centralized managementsystem 110 and the advertisement source 112 may include a reportregarding the placement of the targeted advertisement. Likewise, thecommunications between the centralized management system 110 and thecontent source 120 may include a report regarding the placement of thetargeted advertisement.

Although only one advertisement source 112 is depicted in FIG. 1, itwill be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that thecentralized management system 110 may receive targeted advertisementsfrom multiple advertisement sources. In this manner, the centralizedmanagement system 110 is able to deliver targeted advertisements frommultiple advertisement sources. Further, it will be appreciated by thosehaving ordinary skill in the art, that multiple users may enroll withthe centralized management system 110 for the electronic device 102.

Moreover, although only one electronic device 102 is depicted in FIG. 1,it will be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art thatmultiple electronic devices, each having one or more users, may receivetargeted advertisements from the centralized management system 110. Inthis manner, the centralized management system 110 is able to delivertargeted advertisements across multiple platforms to multiple users aswill be explained in greater detail hereinafter.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a diagram of the logicaland other components of an exemplary electronic device 102. Aspreviously mentioned, the present disclosure is not limited to anyparticular type of electronic device 102 and may include, withoutlimitation, televisions, cellular phones, computers, personal digitalassistants and portable music players. Thus, it is to be understood bythose having ordinary skill in the art that the features disclosed inrelation to FIG. 2 may be incorporated into a wide range of electronicdevices having the ability to render a content stream.

The electronic device 102 may include standard device electronics 200and a local management system 202. The standard device electronics 200are those components typically associated with that type of electronicdevice 102. For example, if the electronic device 102 is a television,then the standard device electronics 200 are those components found in aconventional television. Likewise, if the electronic device 102 is acomputer, then the standard device electronics 200 are those componentsfound in a conventional computer. Additionally, if the electronic device102 is a cellular phone, then the standard device electronics 200 arethose components found in a cellular phone.

At a minimum, the standard device electronics 200 may include an inputmodule 204, a rendering module 206, and an output module 208. In otherwords, typically common to all of the various forms that the electronicdevice 102 may take, the standard device electronics 200 may include theinput module 204, the rendering module 206 and the output module 208.

The input module 204 is operable to receive a signal containing thecontent stream and contains all the necessary circuitry to accomplishthis task. For example, if the content stream is received via a wirelessconnection, the input module 204 may include an antenna and associatedradio frequency circuitry necessary to receive the signal. Likewise, ifthe content stream is received via a wired connection, the input module204 may include the appropriate connection jacks and the necessarycircuitry to accomplish this task. The input module 204 may include amodem, a network card, or any other circuitry necessary to receive thecontent stream.

The rendering module 206 is operable to receive the content stream andprovide it to the output module 208 in the appropriate format. Theoutput module 208 may comprise an electronic display, screen, monitor,and/or speakers. The output module 208 allows a user to perceive thecontent stream.

The local management system 202 includes various components as will nowbe described. A network gateway module 210 is operable to allowcommunications between the electronic device 202 and the centralizedmanagement system 110. The network gateway module 210 may comprise aconnection to a LAN or a WAN. In one exemplary embodiment, the networkgateway module 210 allows communications to be received and transmittedover a network such as the Internet. In particular, the network gatewaymodule 210 facilitates the communications with the centralizedmanagement system 110 over the communication path 108. The targetedadvertisements, subscription-based content stream, and the feedback areall sent and received through the network gateway module 210. In theappropriate circumstances, the network gateway module 210 and the inputmodule 204 may share components.

The storage module 212 is operable to control storage of information ina storage medium 230 and may include the appropriate software drivers.The information stored on the storage medium 230 may include thetargeted advertisements, subscription-based content streams, computersoftware for the other modules, as well as any other needed informationor programming required to accomplish the tasks described herein. Thestorage module 212 may also control buffering of the targetedadvertisements and/or subscription-based content streams to therebyprevent a buffer underrun.

A switching module 214 is operable to cause that the targetedadvertisements received from the centralized management system 110 arerendered on the electronic device 102 according to the advertisementplacement opportunities. In one embodiment, the switching module 214 maycomprise a switch capable of switching between the content stream fromthe content source 104 and the targeted advertisements stored on thestorage medium 230. Thus, the switching module 214 may switch the sourcefor the rendering module 206 between the content stream from the contentsource 104 and the targeted advertisements.

A content tracking module 216 tracks and records information regardingthe content stream into which the targeted advertisements are placed. Inone embodiment, the content tracking module 216 may extract and recordembedded codes in the content stream from the content source 104. Theseembedded codes may then be transmitted to centralized management system110 where the content provider and/or content owner of the contentstream from the content source 104 may be identified using the codes. Inanother embodiment, the content tracking module 216 may also simplytrack and record the time and the specific channel that carries thecontent stream. This information may then be transmitted to thecentralized management system 110 where the content provider and/orcontent owner may be identified.

In another embodiment, the content tracking module 216 may record theinternet address of a website into which the targeted advertisements areplaced. This information is then transmitted to the centralizedmanagement system 216. In another embodiment, the content trackingmodule 216 may also create a map of the data in the content stream. Themap of the data may then be transmitted to the centralized managementsystem 110 where the content provider and/or content owner areidentified using the data map. It will be appreciated by those havingordinary skill in the art that any process or methodology now known orknown in the future that is used to identify the owner or provider ofthe content stream falls within the scope of the present disclosure.

A reporting module 216 generates the feedback and other informationtransmitted to the centralized management system 110. The feedback mayinclude information verifying the rendering of the targeted advertisingto the targeted user.

A campaign management module 220 insures that the targetedadvertisements are rendered according to any delivery requirements sentby the centralized management system 110. For example, the deliveryrequirements may set the sequence in which the targeted advertisementsare rendered to a user. The delivery requirements may also specify wherein the content stream that the targeted advertisements should be placed.

A user identification module 222 is operable to identify the user of theelectronic device 102. The user identification module 222 may includeintegrated technologies that passively identify the user of theelectronic device 102. As used herein, the term “passively” means that auser is not actively aware of the operation of the user identificationmodule or that the electronic device does not require specific userinput to trigger the delivery of the targeted advertisements.

In one embodiment, the user identification module 222 utilizes biometricrecognition technologies and techniques. Suitable biometric recognitiontechnology includes fingerprint recognition, retina recognition,heartbeat recognition, voice recognition, face recognition, and anyother technology now known or known in the future that utilizes ameasurable, physical characteristic or personal behavioral trait thatmay be used to recognize the identity, or verify the claimed identity,of a user. Other passive identification options for non-biometrictechnologies and techniques include associating a specific user with acellular phone number, a serial number of an electronic device, or IPaddress assigned to an electronic device. The user identification module222 may then identify a user based on the proximity of a known usermobile device associated with a specific cellular phone number, serialnumber, or IP address. The user identification module 222 may also useactive identification technologies such as passwords, logins, andchallenge questions to identify the user.

In the case where the user identification module 222 employs a biometricrecognition technology, enrollment by the user may be required. That is,a user may be required to submit a reference sample of thecharacteristic or trait used to identify the user. Once taken, thereference sample may be stored at the centralized management system 110.The reference sample may be disseminated to the electronic device 102associated with the user through the communication path 108. It will beappreciated that the reference sample for a user may be disseminated tomultiple electronic devices 102 such that the user may only have toprovide the sample one time.

The user identification module 222 may include the necessary componentsto capture the user's characteristic or trait. For example, in the casewhere the biometric technology utilizes finger print recognition, theuser identification module 222 may include a fingerprint scanner. Oncethe user's fingerprint is scanned, the scan is compared to the referencesample to thereby identify the user.

Once the user's identity is confirmed, or, stated another way, the userof the electronic device is confirmed to have previously enrolled withthe centralized management system, an advertisement selection module 223determines if any targeted advertisements on the storage medium arelinked to that user. If a targeted advertisement is linked to thecurrent user of the electronic device, then the advertisement selectionmodule 223 may then notify the switching module 214 and the opportunitydetection module 226 of a targeted advertisement that needs placement.

A communications module 224 is operable to control communicationsbetween the electronic device 102 and the centralized management system110. The communications module 224 may include the necessary componentsand protocol to ensure reliable communications.

The opportunity detection module 226 may be operable to recognizeadvertisement placement opportunities in the content stream or thesubscription-based content stream. For example, the opportunitydetection module 226 may identify an advertising slot. In oneembodiment, in order to identify an advertisement placement opportunity,the opportunity detection module 226 may monitor the content stream forembedded codes that signal an upcoming slot designated for advertising.The embedded codes may take the form of an inaudible tone or any othertype of signaling or flag. Once an upcoming slot designated foradvertising has been identified, the opportunity detection module 226may cause that the original advertisements in the content stream bedisplaced by the targeted advertisements using the switching module 214.

A subscription module 227 may manage the subscription-based contentstream from the centralized management system 110. The subscriptionmodule 227 may be operable to generate a graphical user interface toallow a user to select content or programming available from thecentralized management system 110. In this regard, the centralizedmanagement system 110 may transmit to the electronic device 102 over thecommunication path 108 a list of all available content and programming.

The local management system 202 may include a microprocessor 228, alsoknown as a centralized processing unit. As the various modules 210-227may include computer programming code, the modules 210-227 may utilizethe microprocessor 228 to accomplish their intended purposes as outlinedherein.

It will be appreciated that the local management system 202 may beintegrated into the electronic device 102 or may be contained in aseparate and stand alone unit having a connection to the electronicdevice 102. It will further be noted that any of the modules 210-227 mayalso be integrated into the electronic device 102, or any or all of themmay be externally located with respect to the electronic device 102.Further, omissions of any of the modules 210-227 in an electronic device102 still falls within the scope of the present disclosure. That is,alternative embodiments of the present disclosure may have less than allof the modules 210-227 shown in FIG. 2. Further, the modules 210-227 mayshare common resources without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a diagram of the logicaland other components of an exemplary centralized management system 110.As mentioned above, the centralized management system 110 may beremotely located from the electronic device 102 such that thecentralized management system 110 is able to communicate with multipleelectronic devices. Each of the various components of the centralizedmanagement system 110 will now be described.

A network gateway module 302 is operable to allow communications betweenthe electronic device 102 and the centralized management system 110. Thenetwork gateway module 302 may comprise a connection to a network, suchas a LAN or a WAN. In one exemplary embodiment, the network gatewaymodule 302 allows communications to be received and transmitted over anetwork such as the Internet. The network gateway module 302 may alsoallow communications with the advertisement source 112 and thethird-party system 118.

A content identification module 304 is operable to identify the contentprovider and/or the content owner of the content stream. The contentidentification module 304 may use information gathered by the electronicdevice 102 and transmitted to the centralized management system 110 inorder to identify the content provider and/or content owner of thecontent stream. The content identification module 304 may identify thecontent provider and/or content owner of the content stream using anyone of a variety of methods described above.

In one embodiment, a content provider and/or content owner of thecontent stream may be identified using codes embedded in the contentstream. The embedded codes may be extracted from the content stream bythe electronic device 102. Once extracted, the codes may then betransmitted to the centralized management system 110 usingcommunications 108. The content identification module 304 may then usethe codes to properly identify the content provider and/or contentowner. In another embodiment, the content identification module 304 mayutilize a data point map extracted from the content stream andtransmitted to the centralized management system 110 by the electronicdevice 102. The content identification module 304 may then compare thismap to known maps to identify the content owner and/or content provider.In another embodiment, the electronic device 102 may log the time andchannel on which the content stream is broadcast and transmit thisinformation to the centralized management system 110. The contentidentification module 304 may then compare this information to aprogramming schedule to identify the content owner and/or contentprovider.

A communications module 306 is operable to control communicationsbetween the electronic device 102 and the centralized management system110, the centralized management system 110 and the advertisement source112, and the centralized management system 110 and the third-partysystem 118. For example, the communications module 306 may identifyoptimal communication times to download the targeted advertisements tothe electronic device 102. The communication module 306 may tracksuccessful and unsuccessful communications and repeat as necessary. Thecommunication module 306 may be completely autonomous from humaninteraction such that the communications with the electronic device 102occur automatically.

A reporting module 308 may be operable to generate reports regarding thetargeted advertisement placing and any revenue sharing with contentproviders. The reports may be generated automatically pursuant to areporting policy established by the operators of the centralizedmanagement system 110. The reports generated by the reporting module 308may include information received from the reporting module 218 on theelectronic device 102. The reports 308 may be disseminated to theadvertisement source 112 and the third-party system 118.

A subscription module 310 is operable to provide a subscription-basedcontent stream having customized content to the electronic device 102.For example, as explained previously, a user of the electronic device102 is able to select programming and other content for delivery to theelectronic device 102 from the centralized management system 110.Targeted advertisements may be placed into the subscription-basedcontent stream at the centralized management system 110 prior totransmission to the electronic device 102. This may be done on-the-flyas the subscription-based content stream is transmitted. Alternatively,the subscription-based content stream may be transmitted separately fromthe targeted advertisements.

Thus, the subscription module 310 that is operable to allow a user tosubscribe to any content stream available from the centralizedmanagement system 110. As mentioned, the content stream may be providedby an outside content source 120 over the communication path 122 to thecentralized management system 110. It is contemplated that the presentdisclosure includes receiving content streams from multiple contentsources.

The subscription module 310 may provide a list of all available contentstreams to the electronic device 102 to thereby facilitate userselection at the electronic device 102. The subscription module 310 mayprovide navigable menu screens to the electronic device 102 such thatthe user may select from available programming. For example, the screensmay include all available movies, shows, programming or other contentavailable for delivery to the electronic device 102 through thecentralized management system 110.

The centralized management system 110 may include a storage module 312that is operable to manage and control the storage of information in astorage medium 326. The storage module 312 may include a databasemanagement application suitable for the purposes outlined herein. Thestorage module 312 may include the appropriate software drivers foraccessing information from the storage medium 326.

The centralized management system 110 may include a user profilemanagement and enrollment module 314 that is operable to receive andmanage user profiles in the storage medium 326. A user profile mayinclude information regarding a user of the electronic device 102. Theuser profile management and enrollment module 314 may administer anon-line profile assessment to a user thereby enroll a user with thecentralized management system 110. The user profile management andenrollment module 314 may also receive and store biometric referencesamples from users as part of the users profile. In addition, the userprofile management and enrollment module 314 may also associate all ofthe electrical devices of a user with the user's profile.

The centralized management system 110 may include a campaign managementmodule 316 that is operable to manage and control an advertisingcampaign and to set any delivery requirements for the targetedadvertisements. An advertising campaign may include various phases. Eachphase may include the delivery of an advertisement using a differentplatform. Using the feedback from the electronic device 102, thecampaign management module 316 is able to cause subsequent phases of anadvertising campaign to be performed on a different platform or the sameplatform in a sequential manner.

The centralized management system 110 may include a comparison module318 that is operable to compare the target profiles for the targetedadvertisements to the user profiles to thereby determine a group oftargeted users. At this point, the centralized management system 110 maygenerate feedback to the advertisement source 112 regarding the group oftargeted users. This feedback may include the information regarding thenumber of users in the group of targeted users. This information mayallow the modification of the target profile such that the size of thegroup of targeted users may be increased or decreased. This process mayundergo several iterations until a desired group of targeted userprofiles has been generated.

Once the targeted users have been identified and finalized by thecomparison module 318, the centralized management system 110 maytransmit the targeted advertisements to an electronic device 102associated with each of the targeted users via the advertisementdelivery module 319. The advertisement delivery module 319 may alsotransmit a link associated with a targeted advertisement. The link mayidentify the targeted user to whom the targeted advertisement isdirected. In this manner, the electronic device 102 may utilize the linkto ensure proper delivery of the targeted advertisement to the targeteduser.

It should be noted that users who do not have a matching profile to thetargeted profile may not receive the targeted advertisements. Thedelivery of the targeted advertisements to the electronic devices 102 ofthe targeted users may take place as the system demands allow.Typically, this may occur during off-peak hours. Further, the processmay occur over several hours, days or weeks depending upon the size ofthe group of targeted users.

An account management module 320 is operable to establish and manageaccounts for content providers and advertisement providers. The accountmanagement module may establish a revenue account for the contentproviders. The revenue accounts of each of the content providers may beupdated to reflect the content providers share of any advertisingrevenues generated from the placement of the targeted advertisements inrelation to a content stream associated with the content providers. Thecontent providers may provide the content streams directly to thecentralized management system through content source 120 or to directlyto the electronic device 102 through content source 104. Thus, thepresent disclosure is able to compensate content providers for theplacement of targeted advertisements in content streams from the contentsource 104 or subscription-based content streams from the centralizedmanagement system 110.

A revenue calculation module 322 may be operable to calculate anyrevenue sharing of any compensation received for placing the targetedadvertisements. Compensation for placing the targeted advertisement maybe received from the operators of the advertising source 112, which mayinclude advertising agencies or companies. It will be appreciated thatbecause the present disclosure is able in most cases to identify thecontent provider of the content stream into which the targetedadvertisements are placed, that the operators of the centralizedmanagement system 110 are able to share revenues with the contentprovider of the content stream.

Further, the revenue calculation module 322 may generate a report thatis transmitted to the third-party system 118, which may be operated bythe content providers of the content stream. The revenue calculationmodule 322 calculates the revenue sharing based upon the particularcontent stream into which a targeted advertisement is placed. Forexample, if the electronic device 102 is a television tuned to abroadcast television station showing a movie, the electronic device 102may insert a targeted advertisement into the movie during a regularlyscheduled commercial break. The electronic device 102 may record thetime that the targeted advertisement was placed and the channel showingthe movie. This information may be transmitted back to the centralizedmanagement system 110. Using this information, the centralizedmanagement system 110 may then identify the content provider, i.e., thebroadcast television station, and the content owner, i.e., the owner ofthe movie being broadcast (such as a movie studio). The revenuecalculation module 322 may then calculate shares of the compensationreceived from an advertising agency to place the targeted advertisementamong the operators of the centralized management system 110, and thecontent owner, and content provider. This model may require that theoperators of the centralized management system 110 establish revenuesharing agreements with the content providers to determine the amount ofthe revenue share. As used herein, the term “content provider” shall beconstrued to also include content owners.

The centralized management system 110 may include a microprocessor 324,also known as a central processing unit, that is operable to process anyof the required data from any of the modules 302-322. The processor 324may take any one of a variety of forms including a single processor ormultiple processors. Further, it will be appreciated that thecentralized management system 110 may be integrated into a singlecomputing device or may be distributed across multiple computingplatforms. It will further be noted that the modules 302-322 may also beintegrated into a single computing device or may be separately locatedamongst multiple computing platforms. Further, omission of any of themodules 302-322 falls within the scope of the present disclosure. Thatis, alternative embodiments of the present disclosure may have less thanall of the modules 302-322 shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown another exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. A centralized management system 400 may compriseone or more computing devices 402 in communication with an electronicstorage medium 404. The centralized management system 400 may receivetargeted advertisements in an electronic format from a computing device406. The computing device 406 and the centralized management system 400may communicate over a computer network, such as the Internet. Thecomputing device 406 may be operated by advertisers or advertisingagencies. When received at the centralized management system 400, thetargeted advertisements are electronically stored in the electronicstorage medium 404.

It should be noted that the targeted advertisements may stored in anyformat suitable for rendering on an electronic device. For example,suitable formats for the targeted advertisements include AVI, WindowsMedia, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, QuickTime, RealVideo, Flash andShockwave. Other suitable formats include audio formats such as AAC,AC3, MIDI, MP3, RealAudio, Waveform, and WMA. Other suitable formatsinclude image formats such as BMP, GIF, JPG, JPG 2000, MNG, PNG, SVG,TIFF. Other suitable formats include ASCII, DOC, EBCDIC, HTML, OEBPS,RTF, Unicode, WPD, and XML. Still other suitable formats include DVD,Blue-Ray, and HD DVD.

The computing device 406 may also transmit target profile to thecentralized management system 400 in association with the targetedadvertisements. The target profile may specify a specific profile of theintended recipients of the targeted advertisements. The centralizedmanagement system 400 compares the target profile to user profilesstored on the electronic storage medium 404 using a computer applicationrunning on computing devices 402. The comparison of the target profileto the user profiles results in a list of targeted users for thetargeted advertisements. Thus, it will be understood that the targetedusers have a profile that matches or is close to the targeted profile.This list of targeted users may be stored on the electronic storagemedium 404.

The targeted advertisements may include individual advertisementsintended to be rendered on different platforms. For example, thetargeted advertisements may include an advertisement in a formatsuitable for rendering on a television, an advertisement in a formatsuitable for rendering on a computer, and an advertisement in a formatsuitable for rendering on a cellular phone. The centralized managementsystem 400 is able to manage the delivery of the targeted advertisementsacross multiple platforms to a targeted user as will be described inmore detail below.

The centralized management system 400 is also able to communicate with acomputing device 408. The computing device 408 may control a traditionaladvertising platform 410 such as direct mailers, electronic mail, or anoutbound call center. The centralized management system 400 may directthe computing device 408 to initiate a phase of an advertising campaignthrough the traditional advertising platform 410 to the targeted usersor any one of the targeted users. The centralized management system 400may send the information, i.e. the advertisement, to be used bytraditional advertising platform 410.

The centralized management system 400 may also control the timing ofwhen the computing device 408 initiates the campaign through thetraditional advertising platform 410. The computing device 408 mayreport back to the centralized management system 400 confirming theexecution of the advertising through the traditional advertisingplatform 410.

A user 412 may enroll with the centralized management system 400 bycompleting a profile assessment. This may be accomplished via an onlinesurvey, personal interview, or any similarly related methodologies.During the enrollment process, the user 412 may provide informationrelating to his or her profile, which is stored by the centralizedmanagement system 400. As mentioned previously, the profile may includeinformation regarding the age of the user 412, the sex of the user 412,income of the user 412, marital and family status of the user 412, therace of the user 412, the native language of the user 412, the creditrating of the user 412, hobbies of the user 412, interests of the user412, or any other information that can be used to direct targetedadvertisements to the user 412.

During the enrollment process, the user 412 may also provide a referencesample for biometric identification purposes. The reference sample mayinclude a reference sample suitable for identifying the user 412 usingany biometric recognition technology, including, without limitation,fingerprint recognition, retina recognition, heartbeat recognition,voice recognition, face recognition, and any other technology now knownor known in the future that utilizes a measurable, physicalcharacteristic or personal behavioral trait that may be used torecognize the identity, or verify the claimed identity, of a user. Theuser 412 may also be required to submit information for use with otherpersonal identification technologies, such as passwords, logins,identification numbers, and challenge questions—all of which can be usedto identify the user 412.

In return for enrollment, the user 412 may be provided with one or moreplatforms through which the advertisements may be delivered. Some of theplatforms provided to the user 412 may be a type of electronic device.FIG. 4 illustrates examples of some of the suitable platforms in theform of electronic devices that may be provided to the user 412 inreturn for enrollment with the centralized management system 400. Theseelectronic devices may include a computer 414, a cell phone 416, and atelevision 418. In addition, the user 412 may be provided with anaftermarket box 420 for enabling a traditional television 422 to be usedin accordance with the present disclosure.

Each of the computer 414, phone 416, television 418, and box 420, mayhave integrated components for enabling two-way electroniccommunications with the centralized management system 400. Thesecommunications may occur over a network, such as the Internet. Thecentralized management system 400 is able to deliver appropriatetargeted advertisements to each of the computer 414, phone 416, thetelevision 418, and the box 420. The targeted advertisements are savedin a storage medium associated with each of the computer 414, phone 416,television 418, and the box 420 for later use. For this reason, it willbe appreciated that a targeted advertisement may be transmitted in aformat suitable for rendering on the electronic device to which it issent. In this manner, the present disclosure is able to deliveradvertisements across multiple platforms to the same user.

The computer 414 may include a keyboard 414A, a mouse 414B, a remotecontrol 414C and a camera 414D. The keyboard 414A, mouse 414B and theremote control 414C may each include a biometric sensor for determiningthe identification of the user 412. The biometric sensor may include,for example, a fingerprint scanner, heartbeat scanner, or a microphoneused to capture the voice of the user 412. In one embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the identity of the user 412 is confirmed passively.For example, the fingerprint scanner may be located on a control buttonsuch that by using the control button, the fingerprint of the user 412is automatically and passively captured. In another embodiment, theidentity of the user is captured actively. For example, the user 412 maybe required to speak such that the voice of the user 412 may be capturedfor recognition. The camera 414D may be used to capture an image of theface of the user 412 for use with facial recognition techniques.

The television 418 may include a remote control 418A. The remote control418A may include a biometric sensor, including, for example, afingerprint scanner, a heartbeat scanner, or a microphone. In addition,a camera may be incorporated into the remote control 418A for enablingthe use of facial recognition techniques. Once a biometriccharacteristic or trait is captured, the remote control 418A maytransmit this information to the television 418. In addition, the remotecontrol 418A may be used for content selection.

The box 420, attached externally to a conventional television 422, mayalso include a biometric sensor, including, for example, a fingerprintscanner, a heartbeat scanner, or a microphone. In addition, a camera maybe incorporated into the box 420 for enabling the use of facialrecognition techniques. The box 420 may use the information to identifythe user 412.

It will be appreciated that the use of the biometric recognitiontechniques allow for the positive identification of instances when theuser 412 is actually using the electronic devices, namely the computer414 and the televisions 418 and 422. Further, these recognitiontechniques ensure that the targeted advertisements are rendered to theuser 412 and not some other party that happens to use any of theelectronic devices shown in FIG. 4.

It will be appreciated, that each user of an electronic device may berequired to enroll with the centralized management system 400. Forexample, all of the members of a household may enroll with the system400. In this case, targeted advertisements for each household member maybe sent to the electronic devices 414, 418, and 420 shown in FIG. 4.

Further, since the targeted advertisements are stored locally at eachelectronic device, the targeted advertisements can be rendered to theappropriate user 412 when it is confirmed that the user 412 is actuallyusing the electronic device through the identification techniquesdescribed herein. In other words, a targeted advertisement may not berendered until it is confirmed that the user 412 is actually using theone of the electronic devices 414, 418, and 420 shown in FIG. 4.

The manner in which the targeted advertisements are rendered to the user412 will now be explained for one exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In regards to the computer 414, the targeted advertisementsmay be rendered to the user 412 anytime that the user 412 is confirmedto be using the computer 414 through a biometric recognition techniqueor another identification technique. In addition, the computer 414 mayreceive an incoming content stream over a network from a contentprovider, such as an internet service provider. In one embodiment,integrated modules in the computer 414 monitors the incoming contentstream for targeted advertisement placement opportunities. The computer414 may be able to replace an advertisement in the content stream with atargeted advertisement directed to the user 412. For example, in thecase where the content stream includes a banner ad, the computer 414 mayreplace the banner ad in the content stream, with a targetedadvertisement banner ad. In another embodiment, the incoming contentstream is monitored at a router level instead of at the computer 414.The advertisement placement can then take place at the router level inthe same manner described herein. In another embodiment, the incomingcontent stream is routed through a proprietary server or gateway. Theadvertisement placement can take place at this proprietary server orgateway in the same manner described herein. Thus, it should beunderstood that advertisement placement into a content stream can takeplace at any point along the path of the content stream between thecontent provider and the electronic device which renders the contentstream. Further, the targeted advertisement placement may take place atthe content provider prior to transmission.

Typically, the user 412 never sees the original banner ad transmitted inthe content stream, since it is replaced with the targeted advertisementsent by the centralized management system 400. This placement process isfacilitated by the fact that the target advertisements are storedlocally on the computer 414, a router, or proprietary server, as thecase may be. The present disclosure is able to be used to replace otheradvertisements typically found on webpages. In addition, the targetedadvertisements may be inserted into computer applications running on thecomputer 414. The computer applications may include computer games andthe like.

In regards to the television 418, the targeted advertisements may berendered to the user 412 anytime that the user 412 is confirmed to bewatching the television 418 through a biometric recognition technique oranother identification technique. For example, the biometric sensor onthe remote control 418A may assist in identifying the user 412. Thetelevision 418 may have the necessary components for storing andrendering the targeted advertisements integrated into the television418. The television 418 may also have the necessary components forcommunicating with the centralized management system 400 integratedtherein.

In one embodiment, after the positive confirmation that the user 412 isusing the television 418, the television 418 monitors an incomingcontent stream for advertisement placement opportunities. The incomingcontent stream may include, without limitation, broadcast televisionsignals, satellite signals, cable signals, IPTV signals, signals fromgaming consoles (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo), and signals from VCR,DVD, Blue-Ray and HD DVD players. The advertisement placementopportunities may be recognized from embedded signals in the contentstream, a programming schedule, or by any other means as previouslydescribed.

Once a targeted advertisement placement opportunity has been identified,a targeted advertisement directed specifically to the user 412 isretrieved from a local storage medium and rendered to the user 412 inaccordance with the targeted advertisement placement opportunity.Alternatively, the targeted advertisement may be pre-buffered by thetelevision 418 for nearly instantaneous rendering. The rendering of thetargeted advertisement may involve displacing an advertisement in theincoming content stream. However, the user 412 typically will not knowthat an advertisement in the content stream has been displaced by atargeted advertisement as it appears to be part of the normal contentstream.

In regards to the television 422, it may not have the integratedcomponents to store and render targeted advertisement to the user 412.The use of the box 420, which has the components necessary for storingand rendering the targeted advertisements received from the centralizedmanagement system 400, allows for the placement of the targetedadvertisements in a manner similar to that described in relation totelevision 418. Further, the box 420 may include biometric recognitiontechnologies for positively identifying when the user 412 is watchingthe television 422. It will be appreciated that the use of box 420allows the present disclosure to be used with off-the-shelf consumerproducts, such as television 422. The box 420 can be adapted to functionwith other types of electronic devices.

In regards to the cellular phone 416, the targeted advertisements may berendered to the user 412 at anytime on a display of the phone 416.Further, the phone 416 may not require the use of a biometricrecognition technology due the fact the cellular phones typically do nothave multiple users. However, the use of a biometric recognitiontechnology or other identification technique with a cellular phone iswithin the scope of the present disclosure. The targeted advertisementsmay be delivered over a cellular phone network from the centralizedmanagement system 400. Prior to rendering, the targeted advertisementmay be stored in a memory device of the phone 416.

Each of the electronic devices, i.e., computer 414, phone 416,television 418, and box 420 may report the rendering of a targetedadvertisement to the user 412 back to the centralized management system400. This reporting or feedback is particularly useful in managing anadvertising campaign directed to the user 412. For example, once it hasbeen determined that an advertisement has been rendered to the user 412,using any of the electronic devices, computer 414, phone 416, box 420,and television 418, the centralized management system 400 may implementanother phase of an advertising campaign. For example, the centralizedmanagement system 400 may instruct that the computing device 408implement a follow-up advertisement to the user 412 using a traditionaladvertising platform 410, e.g., a direct mailer, as previouslydescribed.

Likewise, the ability of the electronic devices illustrated in FIG. 4,i.e., the computer 414, phone 416, television 418, and box 420 toprovide reports or feedback allows for reports to be sent to computingdevice 406. Thus, if computing device 406 is operated by advertisers,the advertisers are able to track the progress of the placement of theirtargeted advertisements in virtually real-time. The same applies if thecomputing device 406 is operated by a content provider.

Each of the electronic devices shown in FIG. 4, i.e., the computer 414,phone 416, television 418, and box 420 may also be able to identify theprovider or owner of the content stream into which a targetedadvertisement is placed. This may be done with or without the assistanceof the centralized data system 400. As previously discussed, this may beaccomplished via embedded coding in the content stream. Alternatively,this may be accomplished via consulting a programming schedule orthrough mapping data points in the content stream and referring to alook-up table.

As mentioned, the identification of the user 412 may occur passively oractively through the integrated components of the electronic devices,i.e., the computer 414, phone 416, television 418, and box 420, shown inFIG. 4. The integrated components in the electronic devices shown inFIG. 4 may take the form of the components shown in relation to thelocal management system 202 shown in FIG. 2. Typically, the presentdisclosure captures the required identification data through the normaluse of the electronic devices by the user 412.

The centralized management system 400 may comprise several computingdevices to accomplish the features described herein. The centralizedmanagement system 400 may take the form of the centralized managementsystem 110 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. Additionally, the centralizedmanagement system 400 may comprise various servers, includingapplication servers, file transfer servers, and database servers.

A computing device suitable for use as part of the centralizedmanagement system 400 will now be described. It will be appreciated thatthis same description may describe a suitable form for computer 414. Thecomputing device may have various forms, including a desktop PC, adedicated server, a laptop or a portable tablet form, or a hand heldform. The features of the computing device described herein may beintegrated or separable from the computing device. For example, whilethe computing device may have a monitor, it may be integrated into thecomputing device, such as the case of a laptop or tablet type computer.

The computing device suitable for use as part of the centralizedmanagement system 400 or computer 414 may include a system memory and asystem bus that interconnects various system components including thesystem memory to a processing unit. The system bus may be any of severaltypes of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, aperipheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of busarchitectures as is known to those skilled in the relevant art. Thesystem memory may include read only memory (ROM) and random accessmemory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements within thecomputing device, such as during start-up, is stored in the ROM. Thecomputing device may further include a hard disk drive for reading andwriting information to a hard disk, a magnetic disk drive for readingfrom or writing to a removable magnetic disk, and an optical disk drivefor reading from or writing to a removable optical disk such as a CDROM, DVD, or other optical media.

It will be appreciated that the hard disk drive, magnetic disk drive,and optical disk drive may be connected to the system bus by a hard diskdrive interface, a magnetic disk drive interface, and an optical diskdrive interface, respectively. The drives and their associatedcomputer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputing device. Although the exemplary environment described hereinemploys a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, and a removable opticaldisk, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art thatother types of computer readable media which can store data that isaccessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, random accessmemories, read only memories, and the like, may also be used in theexemplary operating environment.

A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, magneticdisk, optical disk, ROM or RAM, including an operating system, one ormore applications programs, other program modules, and program data. Theapplication programs may include programs suitable for accomplishing thefeatures and tasks described herein with relation to the centralizedmanagement system 400 or the computer 414. A user may enter commands andinformation into the computing device through input devices such as akeyboard and a pointing device, such as a mouse. These and other inputdevices are often connected to the processing unit through a serial portinterface that is coupled to the system bus. Increasingly, such devicesare being connected by the next generation of interfaces, such as auniversal serial bus interface with a USB port, and to which other hubsand devices may be connected. Other interfaces (not shown) that may beused include parallel ports, game ports, and the IEEE 1394specification.

A monitor or other type of display device is also connected to thesystem bus via an interface, such as a video adapter. In addition to themonitor, the computing device typically includes other peripheral outputor input devices. For example, an ultra slim XGA touch panel may beused. A resistive finger touch screen may also be used.

Further, it is well understood by those having the relevant skill in theart that a keyboard, scanner, printer, external drives (e.g., hard, diskand optical) and a pointing device may be connected to the computingdevice suitable for use as part of the centralized management system 400or the computer 414. In addition, the computing device may be capable ofcommunicating with a network and sending/receiving audio, video anddata.

The computing device may operate in a networked environment usinglogical connections to one or more remote computers or electronicdevices as described herein. The types of connections between networkeddevices include dial up modems, e.g., a modem may be directly used toconnect to another modem, ISDN, xDSL, cable modems, wireless and includeconnections spanning users connected to the Internet. The remotecomputer may be another personal computer, a server, a router, a networkPC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includesmany or all of the elements described in relation to the computingdevice. In particular, the computing device may be able to communicatewith the electronic devices described herein.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computing device isconnected to a local network through a network interface or adapter. Thecomputing device may also connect to the LAN via through any wirelesscommunication standard, such as the 802.11 wireless standard. When usedin a WAN networking environment, the computing device typically usesmodem or other means for establishing communications over the wide areanetwork. It should be noted that the modem may be internal or externaland is connected to the system bus. It will be appreciated that thenetwork connections described herein are exemplary and other means ofestablishing a communications link between the computers may be used,e.g., from a LAN gateway to WAN.

Generally, the data processors of the computing device suitable for useas part of the centralized management system 400 or the computer 414 areprogrammed by means of instructions stored at different times in thevarious computer-readable storage media of the computer. Programs andoperating systems are typically distributed, for example, on floppydisks or CD-ROMs. From there, they are installed or loaded into thesecondary memory of a computer. At execution, they are loaded at leastpartially into the computer's primary electronic memory. The disclosuredescribed herein includes these and other various types ofcomputer-readable storage media when such media contain instructions orprograms for implementing the steps described herein in conjunction witha microprocessor or other data processor. The disclosure also includesthe computing device itself when programmed according to the methods andtechniques described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is depicted a flow diagram according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. At step 500, a targetedadvertisement along with an associated target profile is received at acentralized management system. The targeted advertisement and the targetprofile may be transmitted either separately or together over a computernetwork. Alternatively, the targeted advertisement and the targetprofile may be delivered to the centralized management system on aportable storage medium. The targeted advertisement and the targetprofile are then loaded onto the centralized management system. Thecentralized management system may comprise a computer database having aplurality of user profiles stored therein.

At step 502, a computer application running on the centralizedmanagement system compares the target profile to the user profiles inorder to determine a group of targeted users. The comparison shouldreturn at least one targeted user. The targeted users have a profilethat match or are closely matched to the target profile.

At step 504, the targeted advertisements are delivered to electronicdevices of the users having a profile that matches the target profile.This may be accomplished by transmitting the targeted advertisement fromthe centralized management system to one or more electronic devicesassociated with each targeted user.

At step 506, the electronic device confirms when the targeted user isactually using the electronic device, and, at step 508, the electronicdevice renders the targeted advertisement to the targeted user. At step510, a report regarding the rendering of the targeted advertisement isgenerated. The report may be electronically transmitted back to thecentralized management system.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is depicted a flow diagram according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. At steps 600 and 602, acontent stream is monitored for an advertisement placement opportunity.The advertisement placement opportunity may be a regular advertisingslot in the content stream.

At step 604, an advertisement in the content stream is replaced with atargeted advertisement. This may be accomplished by switching an inputfrom a source carrying the content stream to a source carrying thetargeted advertisement. The targeted advertisement may be pre-bufferedsuch that the switch to targeted advertisement may be accomplishedon-the-fly and without interruption. After the targeted advertisementhas been rendered, the source of the input may be immediately switchedback to the source carrying the content stream. This step should providea seamless integration of the targeted advertisement into the contentstream, to the extent possible, such that the switch is unnoticeable toa user.

At step 606, the content owner or content provider of the content streamis identified. This may require extracting embedded codes from thecontent stream. In addition, other recognition techniques may beemployed, including mapping data points in the content stream andcomparing these data points to a known data point mappings in a look-uptable. Alternatively, a programming schedule may be employed to identifythe content owner or content provider.

At step 608, revenues generated by the targeted advertisement placementmay be shared with the content owner and/or content provider. In thismanner, the content owner and/or providers are compensated for thedisplacement of their normal advertisements in the content stream.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is depicted a flow diagram according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. At step 700, a user, referredto herein as the “current user” for purposes clarity, interacts with anelectronic device. The electronic device may have the ability to placetargeted advertisements.

At step 702, the electronic device determines whether any enrolled usershave been previously associated with the electronic device. An enrolleduser is a person who has completed a profile assessment and, in oneembodiment, provided a biometric reference sample for identificationpurposes. If it is determined that an enrolled user has been associatedwith the electronic device, at step 704, the electronic device willattempt to confirm whether the current user of the electronic device isone of the enrolled users. This may be accomplished through a biometricrecognition technique, such as a fingerprint scan. In one embodiment,the current user's fingerprint scan will compared to the referencesamples of the enrolled users to make this determination.

If the current user of the electronic device is confirmed to be anenrolled user, then at step 705, a determination is made whether anytargeted advertisements are linked to the user. If no targetedadvertisements are linked to the current user, then the branch ends atstep 709. If it is determined that there is a targeted advertisementlinked to the user, then, at step 706, a content stream being renderedby the electronic device is monitored to recognize an advertisementplacement opportunity. Once the advertisement placement opportunity isrecognized, then, at step 708, a targeted advertisement is rendered tothe user in accordance with the advertisement placement opportunity. Atstep 711, it is determined whether another targeted advertisement isavailable for placement. If yes, the process loops back to step 706. Ifno, then this branch then ends at step 709.

If at step 702, it is determined that there are no enrolled usersassociated with the electronic device, at step 710, the current user ofthe electronic device may be enrolled. This may include gathering dataabout a profile assessment of the current user and capturing a biometricreference sample, such as a fingerprint scan. The current user's data,including the current user's profile assessment and biometric referencesample, may then be transmitted and stored at a centralized managementsystem at step 712.

At step 714, the centralized management system may then update theelectronic device to thereby associate an enrolled user with theelectronic device. This branch ends by returning to step 700.

If at step 704, the current user cannot be matched to any of theenrolled users, at step 716, a determination is made whether the currentuser is accessing personalized content of any of the enrolled users. Ifthe user is accessing personalized content, then, at step 718, anassociation between the current user and an enrolled user, to whom thepersonalized content is typically associated, is created. Then, targetedadvertisements may be delivered to the current user at steps 706 and708. If the current user is not accessing personalized content, then atstep 720, a temporary guest registration may be granted to the currentuser to thereby allow the current user to operate the electronic device.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is depicted a flow diagram according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. At step 800, it is determinedthat a user is using an electronic device. At step 802, it is determinedwhether the content stream being accessed by the user is asubscription-based content stream or a third-party content stream. Asubscription-based content stream may be a content stream whose contentis delivered specifically to the user at the user's request. Athird-party content stream may be a delivered using a broadcast typenetwork.

If the content stream is a subscription-based content stream, at step804, targeted advertisements are inserted into the subscription-basedcontent stream and the subscription-based content stream is rendered onthe electronic device. This branch then ends at step 806.

If the content stream being accessed by the user is generated from anon-subscription based content stream, at step 808, it is determinedwhether the non-subscription based content stream has embedded codes inthe non-subscription based content stream. If embedded codes are presentin the non-subscription based content stream, then at step 810, targetedadvertisements may be placed into the non-subscription based contentstream. If no embedded codes are found in the non-subscription basedcontent stream, then at step 812, it is determined whether the contentcan be identified through another method, such as data point mapping ofthe non-subscription based content stream. If the content cannot beidentified, this branch ends at step 806.

If the content can be identified at step 802, then at step 814, it isdetermined whether permission from the content owner and/or provider toinsert targeted advertisements has been obtained. If no permission hasbeen obtained, then this branch ends at step 806. If permission has beenobtained, then the targeted advertisements are inserted into thenon-subscription based content stream at step 810 and the branch ends atstep 806.

Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate theadvantages provide by the features of the present disclosure. Forexample, it is a feature of the present disclosure to provide a systemfor delivering targeted advertisements to a user of an electronicdevice. Another feature of the present disclosure is to provide aconfirmation or verification that a targeted advertisement has beenrendered to a targeted user. It is a further feature of the presentdisclosure, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide revenuesharing with an owner or provider of a content stream into which atargeted advertisement has been placed. As used in the following claims,the term “content stream” may be construed to incorporatesubscription-based content streams as discussed above.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the presentdisclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purposeof streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description of theDisclosure by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment of the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentdisclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intendedto cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the presentdisclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above withparticularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to,variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner ofoperation, assembly and use may be made without departing from theprinciples and concepts set forth herein.

1. A method for placing targeted advertisements, said method comprisingthe steps of: determining an identity of a user of an electronic device;selecting a targeted advertisement linked to the identity of the user;recognizing a targeted advertisement placement opportunity in relationto a content stream; and causing the targeted advertisement's renderingon the electronic device in accordance with the targeted advertisementplacement opportunity.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofcausing the targeted advertisement's rendering on the electronic devicecomprises the step of displacing an advertisement in the content stream.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing the targetedadvertisement's rendering on the electronic device comprises the step offilling a slot for advertisement in the content stream.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of recognizing a targeted advertisementplacement opportunity comprises the step of monitoring the contentstream.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of recognizing atargeted advertisement placement opportunity comprises the step ofaccessing a programming schedule for the content stream.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the step of recognizing a targeted advertisementplacement opportunity comprises the step of using codes embedded in thecontent stream.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofgenerating a report regarding the rendering of the targetedadvertisement on the electronic device.
 8. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of identifying a provider of the content stream. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the step of identifying a provider of thecontent stream comprises the step of accessing a programming schedule.10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of identifying a provider ofthe content stream comprises the step of determining a channel of thecontent stream.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step ofidentifying a provider of the content stream comprises the step ofcomparing data in the content stream to data in a look-up table.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the step of identifying a provider of thecontent stream comprises the step of using data codes embedded in thecontent stream.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the content stream isa television signal.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the televisionsignal is at least one of a satellite television signal and a cabletelevision signal.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the content streamis generated by a gaming console.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein thecontent stream is generated from a player capable of reading an opticalstorage medium.
 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the stepof providing the content stream.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of determining an identity of a user further comprises the step ofusing a biometric recognition technique.
 19. A method for delivering atargeted advertisement, said method comprising the steps of:establishing in a computer environment a database of user profiles;comparing a target profile to the user profiles in the database tothereby determine a group of targeted users; transmitting the targetedadvertisement over a network to an electronic device associated witheach of the targeted users; and causing the rendering of the targetedadvertisement on the electronic devices of each of the targeted users.20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of monitoring acontent stream for each of the electronic devices for targetedadvertisement placement opportunities and causing the rendering of thetargeted advertisement in accordance with the targeted advertisementplacement opportunities.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprisingthe step of identifying providers of the content streams for each of theelectronic devices.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising thestep of calculating a share of advertising revenues for each of theproviders of the content streams.
 23. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising the step of providing a content steam to at least a portionof the electronic devices.
 24. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising the step of confirming that each targeted user is actuallyusing an electronic device through a biometric recognition technique.25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of delivering acontent stream to each of the electronic devices of the targeted users.26. A method for placing a targeted advertisements, said methodcomprising the steps of: identifying a user of an electronic device;selecting a targeted advertisement linked to the identity of the user;monitoring a content stream for a targeted advertisement placementopportunity; recognizing a targeted advertisement placement opportunityin relation to the content stream; and causing the rendering of thetargeted advertisement on the electronic device in accordance with thetargeted advertisement placement opportunity.
 27. The method of claim26, further comprising the step of transmitting the targetedadvertisement to the electronic device over a network.
 28. The method ofclaim 26, further comprising the step of identifying a provider of thecontent stream.
 29. The method of claim 26, wherein the step ofidentifying a user of an electronic device comprises the step of using abiometric recognition technique.
 30. The method of claim 26, wherein thestep of causing the rendering of the targeted advertisement on theelectronic device in accordance with the targeted advertisementplacement opportunity comprises the step of displacing an advertisementin the content stream with the targeted advertisement.
 31. Acomputer-implemented method, comprising: establishing in a computerenvironment an account for a content provider, the account representingthe content provider's share of revenue derived from advertisementplacement in relation to a content stream associated with the contentprovider; tracking advertisement placement in relation to the contentstream associated with the content provider; calculating the contentprovider's share of revenues generated from the advertisement placement;and adjusting the account of the content provider to reflect the contentprovider's share of revenues.
 32. The method of claim 31, furthercomprising the step of placing advertisements in relation to the contentstream associated with the content provider.
 33. The method of claim 32,wherein the advertisements are targeted advertisements.
 34. The methodof claim 31, further comprising the step of monitoring the contentstream for advertisement placement opportunities.
 35. The method ofclaim 34, further comprising the step of placing advertisements inaccordance with the advertisement placement opportunities.
 36. Themethod of claim 35, wherein the advertisements are targetedadvertisements.
 37. The method of claim 31, further comprising the stepof displacing an advertisement in the content stream with anotheradvertisement.
 38. The method of claim 31, further comprising the stepof replacing an advertisement in the content stream with a targetedadvertisement.
 39. The method of claim 31, further comprising the stepsof establishing a communication path with an electronic device anddelivering an advertisement to the electronic device over thecommunication path wherein the electronic device is able to render boththe content stream and the advertisement.
 40. The method of claim 39,wherein the advertisement is a targeted advertisement.
 41. The method ofclaim 39, further comprising the step of transmitting the content streamto the electronic device.
 42. The method of claim 39, further comprisingthe step of identifying a user of the electronic device using abiometric recognition technique.
 43. The method of claim 42, furthercomprising the step of selecting targeted advertisements linked to theidentity of the user.
 44. A system for placing targeted advertisements,said system comprising: a user identification module for identifying auser of an electronic device; an advertisement selection module forselecting a targeted advertisement linked to the identity of the user;an opportunity detection module for recognizing targeted advertisementplacement opportunities; and a switching module for causing therendering the targeted advertisement on the electronic device inaccordance with the advertisement placement opportunity.
 45. The systemof claim 44, further comprising a storage medium for storing thetargeted advertisement, said storage medium being associated with theelectronic device.
 46. The system of claim 44, further comprising a userinterface for the electronic device, wherein a biometric sensor isintegrated into said user interface, said biometric sensor providing asignal to the user identification module, said signal carryinginformation related to a captured biometric characteristic.
 47. Thesystem of claim 46, wherein the user interface is selected from thegroup consisting of a remote control, a keyboard, keypad, and a computermouse.
 48. The system of claim 46, wherein said biometric sensor is atleast one of a fingerprint scanner, a voice capturing device, and aheartbeat capturing device.
 49. The system of claim 44, furthercomprising a reporting module, said reporting module operable togenerate a report regarding the rendering of the targeted advertisement.50. The system of claim 44, further comprising a content trackingmodule, said content tracking module operable to facilitate theidentification of a provider of a content stream into which the targetedadvertisement is placed.
 51. The system of claim 44, further comprisinga network gateway module for receiving targeted advertisements from aremote location.
 52. The system of claim 44, further comprising amicroprocessor.
 53. The system of claim 52, wherein each of the useridentification module, advertisement selection module, opportunitydetection module, and switching module is at least partially implementedusing computer readable instructions, said computer readableinstructions being executed on the microprocessor.
 54. A system formanaging a targeted advertising campaign, said system comprising: acomparison module for comparing a target profile to user profiles storedin an electronic database to thereby identify a group of targeted users;an advertisement delivery module for delivering a targeted advertisementassociated with the targeted profile to an electronic device associatedwith each of the targeted users; and a content identification module forfacilitating the identification of providers of content streams intowhich the targeted advertisement is placed.
 55. The system of claim 54,further comprising a subscription module for delivering user selectedcontent streams to electronic devices.
 56. The system of claim 54,further comprising a revenue calculation module for calculating a shareof advertising revenues for content providers.
 57. The system of claim54, further comprising an enrollment module for enrolling users.
 58. Thesystem of claim 57, further comprising at least one biometric sensor forcapturing biometric reference samples from users.
 59. The system ofclaim 54, further comprising an electronic device, said electronicdevice able to render the targeted advertisement.
 60. The system ofclaim 54, further comprising an opportunity detection module forrecognizing advertisement placement opportunities.
 61. The system ofclaim 60, further comprising a switching module for causing therendering the targeted advertisement in accordance with theadvertisement placement opportunities.
 62. The system of claim 54,further comprising: a user identification module for identifying a userof an electronic device; and an advertisement selection module forselecting a targeted advertisement linked to the identity of the user.63. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of: establishingin a computer environment a database of user profiles; comparing atarget profile to the user profiles in the database to thereby determinea group of targeted users; transmitting the targeted advertisement overa network to an electronic device associated with each of the targetedusers; identifying a provider of a content stream; calculating a shareof advertising revenues for the provider; and adjusting an account ofthe provider to reflect the provider's share of the advertisingrevenues.
 64. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining anidentity of a user further comprises the step of using a non-biometricrecognition technique.
 65. The method of claim 26, wherein the step ofdetermining an identity of a user further comprises the step of using anon-biometric recognition technique.
 66. The method of claim 39, furthercomprising the step of identifying a user of the electronic device usinga non-biometric recognition technique.
 67. The system of claim 44,wherein the user identification module identifies the user of theelectronic device using at least one of a serial number of theelectronic device, a phone number of the electronic device, and an IPaddress of the electronic device.